The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : 1,000 Volvo buses for BMTC, fares to be cut by 30 per cent

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 17, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

1,000 Volvo buses for BMTC, fares to be cut by 30 per cent

Staff Reporter

Plans afoot to build a bus depot every 2 km on Peripheral Ring Road

COMFY JOURNEY: The new BMTC buses, exclusively for women, parked at the Hebbal bus depot, in Bangalore on Wednesday. — Photo: K. Murali Kumar

BANGALORE: To popularise the Volvo bus service, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is planning to reduce its fares by 30 per cent.

Announcing this after inaugurating the newly constructed bus depot at Hebbal, Transport Minister N. Cheluvaraswamy said the move was planned to ensure that people from all sections of society used the service so that the number of private passenger vehicles on the road was reduced.

Reiterating that BMTC would introduce 1,000 new no-frills Volvo buses, the Minister said Volvo Bus Corporation had agreed to provide the buses at lower rate of interest. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and top Transport Department officials had discussed this issue with the officials of the Volvo Bus Corporation, he said.

"We will have another round of discussions with the Volvo officials before introducing the buses in phases," he said.

Later, the Minister told presspersons that the introduction of more Volvo buses was aimed at reducing the number of private passenger vehicles and easing congestion on city roads.

The BMTC now had 27 bus depots and would build 23 more. Land for the new depots was being identified and work would begin once the land was acquired, he said.

BMTC planned to increase its fleet of 4,000 buses by adding another 1,000 buses.

This would be in addition to the new Volvo buses to be acquired.

"We are looking at making profits and providing better service to people. Comfortable seats will be provided in all buses similar to those in Volvo. This is especially for the convenience of long-distance commuters," he said.

KSRTC buses

The Minister announced that the Government would add 1,600 more buses to the existing fleet of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), he said.

BMTC Managing Director Upendra Tripathy said plans were afoot to set up more bus depots to accommodate new buses. "We are planning to set up one bus depot every two km on the Peripheral Ring Road," he said.

Ministers Zameer Ahmed Khan and R Ashok, Yelahanka MLA B. Prasanna Kumar, Bangalore Urban Zilla Panchayat president Renuka Gopalkrishna, Transport Commissioner M.C. Narayana Gowda, and Principal Secretary (Transport) D. Thangaraj were present.

Mr. Cheluvaraswamy laid the foundation stone for new bus depots at Srigandada Kaval on Magadi Main Road and at Surya City near Chandapur on Anekal Road. He inaugurated a new bus depot at Jigani Industrial area.

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